


Just for Fun

by AnMorrighan



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Avenger Loki (Marvel), Casual Sex, Drinking Games, F/M, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Hand Jobs, Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loss of Virginity, Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Oral Sex, Porn with Feelings, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Protective Tony Stark, Reader-Insert, Sex, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-01-12 04:59:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18439532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnMorrighan/pseuds/AnMorrighan
Summary: You are a trusted technician working closely with Tony Stark and the Avengers since the Battle of New York. After Thanos’ defeat, Loki is required to join forces with his former enemies and make up for his past deeds. Though unintentional, you find yourself becoming fast friends with the god and genuinely enjoying his company. While celebrating with the heroes in the compound one night, it’s revealed through an unfortunate drinking game that you’ve never had sex. Everyone, including your newly reformed friend, Loki, seems surprised by the news. So, ever the trickster, he takes it upon himself to offer his services. Where's the harm, right?





	1. The Game

**Author's Note:**

> I’m gonna be straight with y’all… This is gonna be mostly smut, with a bit a plot thrown in. I’m not even going to try pass it off as something it’s not. I already have two WIPs but I got inspired recently and have decided to write a short three-parter because WHY NOT HA. There aren’t enough fics of older virgins in my humble opinion, but sure look…  
> Part 1 is mostly set up, with 2 being the sexy times, and who knows what 3 will be…  
> Also my beta isn't around at the moment so apologies for any mistakes. Thoughts or any feedback at all is always appreciated!
> 
> Playlist (https://spoti.fi/2Ma4qke): “Good Rockin’ Tonight” — Roy Brown, “The (After) Life of the Party” — Fall Out Boy, “Manhattan” — Kings of Leon

Night had descended upon the Avengers Compound. Beneath the orange-coloured sky, the cheers and laughter of partying friends and upbeat music rang through the cool air. You found yourself sitting on a couch listening to Captain America and the Winter Soldier argue over whether pineapple belonged on pizza. You certainly never thought you would end up witnessing such an argument, but hey, in the grand scheme of how your life could have turned out, this wasn’t so bad.

You started working for Tony Stark after the Battle of New York. No, you didn’t possess any super powers or unnatural abilities. Instead, you were a technician who assisted with the planning and assembly of the weaponry and machinery that the Avengers required in their bid to do good. At the time, you were between jobs, behind on your rent, having a mid-life crisis in your late twenties, and desperate for some sort of help. It seemed that an alien invasion had happened just to rub salt in the wounds you already had. Fucking typical, really… Even with all the destruction it caused, it turned out to be somewhat of a blessing in disguise when Pepper Potts, a long-time family friend, showed up at your apartment and asked if you wanted a job. Not just a job, but a good paying one, doing what you studied in college, and a new fancy place to live. You were seconds away from thanking every single god in existence when she told you that she wanted Tony to have trusted help on hand when he need.

Obviously, you said yes.

And now, years later, after an entire intergalactic war involving the Infinity Stones and a massive purple space-grape (which you mostly avoided due to being stuck in the compound), you sat amongst these heroes, scientists, soldiers, gods, and assassins, as an integral part of the team. You hadn’t expected to become close friends with them either, but Tony seemed insistent on pushing you into the fold.

“If you’re good enough for Pepper,” he declared, upon meeting you for the first time. “Then you’re sure as hell good enough for _me_.”

If the whole experience had taught you anything, it was that life could be pretty weird.

“’M gonna get real with you, Stevie,” Bucky began, waving his metal arm around. “Whoever thought it’d be a good fuckin’ idea to put pineapple on a pizza was probably a member of Hydra.”

“You tryin’ to say that I’m a nazi?” Steve asked, feigning shock.

“I feel like I don’t even know you anymore with all this pineapple talk!”

“So are you two going to get married,” you began. “Or keep bickering like you’ve already been married for thirty five years?”

“He’s not my type, doll. He ain’t got enough, uh—” Bucky cupped his pecks with a frown on his face. “—in the boob department for me.”

You let out a laugh and gave the former-assassin a slap on his flesh arm before getting up and heading to the kitchen across the room. You grabbed another one of your beers from the fridge and glanced at Thor and Loki, who stood on the other side of the kitchen counter chatting and sharing some of that infamous Asgardian alcohol. You remembered — well, _barely_ — the first time Thor convinced you to try some of it. Let’s just say that you were thankful you couldn’t recall an apparent conversation you had with Steve, in which you politely offered him a lap dance before passing out on the kitchen floor.

Certainly not your finest moment.

With the two gods were Tony and Rhodey, who were listening intently to the conversation. While opening your bottle, you caught what sounded like an epic tale of battles in space, so you couldn’t blame them for being invested. Thor was always one for telling a good story, and now that he involved his younger brother in his tales, Loki seemed more than happy to help him along.

You wandered over to the group as Thor rambled on. “… and so there we were, at the feast before the wedding, and I am still in my disguise as the bride. Despite my hulking frame and luscious beard, the giant still had no idea that I was, in fact, _not_ a woman.”

Rhodey laughed at that. “You sound like an impressive lady.”

“Clearly his first mistake,” Tony mused. “I have no idea how he couldn’t notice your beef cake stature.”

“It helped that I was there to convince him,” Loki replied. “Being the God of Lies, and all that.”

“I’m starting to think you can talk your way out of anything, Reindeer Games…”

“Because I definitely can, Stark.”

Since his arrival at the compound some time ago, Loki had formed a surprising bond with Tony. Well, most everyone seemed to find it surprising except for you. They were so similar in personality that it made sense to you that they would find common ground.The first time they shared a small laugh while conversing about their fathers nearly caused Bruce to fall out of his chair. Once Tony got passed the events of New York, he loosened up. The God of Mischief was, after all, here to help. Having returned with his brother after the events of Ragnarok and the destruction of Asgard, he was taken in by the Avengers and kept under house arrest as compensation for his previous crimes. After many discussions with Thor, Tony, Vision, and Steve, the previously unknown aspects of Loki’s torture and brainwashing at the hands of the aforementioned purple space-grape came to light, and with it, the Trickster’s formal union with the Avengers. Many of them weren’t sure whether he would be of much help around the place, or whether he would improve his chaotic ways at all. It was constantly up for debate and most of the team squabbled over it for weeks. Some of them outright avoided him at all costs, but then again, Loki wasn’t their biggest fan either. He was still rightly peeved about the way they treated him in New York, and he wasn’t eager to repair relations anytime soon. It was odd for you at first, seeing him running around with the others and ‘doing good’, while Thor hopped between the Asgardian settlement in Norway and working in the compound. Due to numerous conditions required upon his arrival, Loki also lived there with you and the others, sort of like a more relaxed version of house arrest. He would, somewhere down the line, join Thor back in Scandinavia, but he had a long way to go yet. The whole thing was quite odd for you at first. It took some getting used to when seeing him around, but the more you both relaxed, the more you realised he was actually… alright. You couldn’t help being fascinated with his magic abilities, and he was pleasant enough when he started to settle in more. He always cleaned up after himself (once he got over the lack of royal maids around), was witty, and refrained from arguing unless it came in the form of playful jesting or well-thought out pranks. You were particularly fond of the time he rigged the orange juice to explode in Sam’s face upon opening the carton. The look of exasperation on Sam’s face caused you to spit your Cheerios all over the kitchen counter, while Loki sat next to you calmly reading a book with nothing but a slight smirk in the corner of his thin lips.

He certainly lived up to his reputation as a trickster. 

It was after that encounter in the kitchen that you made a better effort to talk to him. You were cautious at first obviously, but seeing him slowly adjust and doing no harm gave you a bit of confidence to approach. He appeared cautious at first, but seemed to appreciate you praising his tricks. Considering you were somewhat forced to talk to many of the group when it came to repairing gear and weaponry by Tony’s side, this also gave you another opportunity to question him about his magical arsenal. His explanations of ancient magic — seiðr — and Asgard lead into his people’s traditions, which lead into his life and royal upbringing. This continued for months over cups of tea, covering anything and everything — your own culture on Earth, science and magic, where you came from, ‘mortal slang’, pop culture, the history of the universe… Y’know, normal stuff.

It wasn’t long before you became close friends. Bar Tony, Thor, and Bucky, you were the only one around whose company he enjoyed. If anything, you would proudly wager that he preferred spending time with _you_ over the other two. He let you see his gentler side, but only because you encouraged all of the tricks and mischief. You weren’t even trying to pacify him — you genuinely loved it all.

So there you were; suddenly bestest buddies with a Frost Giant.

The team clearly hadn’t expected a bond to form, but they didn’t do much about it, You were an adult after all. And if you wanted to befriend dangerous aliens then so be it!

“Is this the one about the Frost Giant wedding?” you asked, finally approaching the group and invading the discussion.

“Yes, but do not ruin the ending, Y/N!” Thor replied excitedly. “I was just getting to that.”

“Don’t tell me it has a _happy_ ending?” Tony asked with a snigger. “Y’know, the kind you get after a massage?”

Loki groaned while Thor appeared confused. “I do not follow.”

“Consummation, brother. That is what he means.”

“Pah,” Thor scoffed, unfazed. “I would never! He would have been lucky to spend a night with the God of Thunder.”

You chuckled. “Jane will be delighted to hear that.”

“This discussion gives me an idea actually,” Tony said after a moment, the clogs in his head beginning to turn. “Yep, definitely a good idea.”

You grimaced. “I’m already nervous about what you’re up to.”

Your expression didn’t go unnoticed by Loki, who wrapped a protective arm around your waist. He had become quite fond with physical contact in the last few months and you weren’t about to start complaining about it. “Since when are you nervous about what Stark is up to?”

“ _Look_ at him! He’s _plotting!”_

“Oh _God_ ,” Rhodey groaned. “He’s got that look in his eye — definitely plotting."

“Yes, I am!” Tony grinned deviously and loosened his tie. “It is a sure fire way for us to have more fun while simultaneously having more alcohol.”

Before you knew it, you found yourself sitting in the lounge in the company of all the heroes present for the party. You were sat within a Norse sandwich, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Apparently, Tony’s plan for increased alcohol consumption was a game of ‘Never Have I Ever’, for which everyone seemed surprisingly down. Although Tony was in charge, he used one of the nearby briefing screens for randomly generated questions based on themes to prevent any favouritism. The system meant that no one could steer the game in their favour, so any accusations of preferential treatment were out the window.

It started off relatively innocent with most people drinking during the ‘breaking the law’and ‘travel’ rounds. The round related to guilty pleasures ended up being very educational, especially when Clint’s obsession with Kylie Minogue songs was brought to light. You were just relieved to see everyone enjoying themselves instead of being paranoid about spilling secrets. 

And then came the dirtier questions.

“About time,” Tony muttered as the round appeared on screen.

“Oh,” Sam said, getting up and running to the kitchen. “Time for refills — y’all gonna need it.”

“Are you implying that we’re all sexual deviants?” Romanoff asked while she sipped on her beer.

“Obviously, Nat.”

“Thank the Norns we sent the Spiderling home earlier,” Thor mused from your right. “He does not need his young mind tainted with such goings on.”

You laughed at that. “He’s _seventeen_ now, Thor.”

“Exactly! He is but a babe!”

“It seems like we have reached that stage in the night,” Loki pondered from your other side. “And now Earth’s mightiest heroes will have all their dirty secrets aired for everyone to see.”

“You’re damn right,” Tony agreed as Steve went to help Sam carry back a whole load of beers for everyone. “And we thought that grandpa’s secret love for Taylor Swift was funny. We’re about to reach a whole new level of literal dirty laundry, folks.”

As Sam handed you a fresh bottle of beer, you added. “Well, if I’m going down, I might as well go down drunk.”

“Right well, at least we already know that you’ve gone down on someone while drunk.”

“ _Tony!”_

“Sorry, Y/N! No time for chat; we have the first question on the screen!”

Despite your urge to get Tony back for his comment, you forced yourself to hold back and focused your attention in the first question to pop up: **“Never have I ever had a one night stand.”**

Bucky let out a heavy sigh as he raised his bottle to his lips. “Oh boy, we’re jumpin’ right in.”

Most of the group drank, excluding you, Bruce, Scott, Wanda, and Steve. There were numerous giggles and shared looks between everyone, while Tony shrugged. “No surprises there. Next up!”

**“Never have I ever kissed someone of the same sex.”**

This time, nearly everyone drank, including you. Bruce and Clint were the only ones who didn’t. Loki gave you a wry grin as you wiped your mouth on the back of your hand. You watched him carefully. “What? Asgard isn’t the only place where experimenting isn’t frowned upon, you know.”

“I am aware,” he replied. “I am just amused that we have another thing in common.”

“Calm down there, pal. You’ll always be more promiscuous than me.”

The look he sent you would have made you blush had you been a little more drunk than you already were. His green eyes studied you unabashedly, as they usually did when he was playfully flirting. “No need to be jealous, darling.”

On the screen, the next question rolled in. **“Never have I ever jerked myself off.”**

Everyone immediately drank. Without thinking, you declared the group Earth’s Mightiest Wankers, and everyone broke out into a fit of laughter.

“ **Never have I ever tasted myself.** ”

As soon as the question appeared, Bucky laughed so hard that he started to cry. Scott hung his head in his hands while he tried to avoid losing it himself.

“Oh my _god_ ,” you spluttered, covering your mouth with your hand.

“If anyone dares to lie about this,” Wanda began, the first to drink. “I’ll know, so don’t even try it.”

With a shrug, Loki took a large swig of his drink. All you could do was look back at him with your jaw dropping to the floor.

“Damn,” Tony said. “The alien and the witch are putting us all to shame. Even I haven’t done that.”

Clint could only shake his head. “You guys are weird, and I have a high threshold for weird shit.”

“Can we please move on to the next question?” Rhodey announced over the mix of horrified gasps and uncontrollable laughter. “Preferably something a little less horrifying?”

Hearing its queue, the screen conjured its next question. “ **Never have I ever had sex.** ”

The sight of it caused your throat to dry slightly. You had hoped, given its lack of any scandalous details, that the question might not even come up. Maybe if you played your cards right, no one would notice.

“Ask and you shall receive, Rhodey,” Tony snickered. “Alright, everyone, big gulps.”

Everyone around you drank.

_Shit…_ you thought to yourself. _I thought that maybe I would have Steve to fall back on but obviously not. Jesus, even Vision is drinking! Can he even consume liquids? God… A robot has had sex before me!_

Momentarily forgetting that there was a literal mind-reader in the room, you sighed as Wanda suddenly looked in your direction. When Vision noticed her line of sight, he looked your way too, grabbing Scott and Sam’s attention with his quick movement. They watched you with raised brows. Before you knew it, everyone in the room was looking at you with curious expressions.

“Did you drink?” you heard Thor ask.

“Nope.”

No one spoke. The music on the sound system still played away, filling the awkward silence as your friends sat completely stumped. It irritated you slightly, seeing them desperately trying to not make a big deal out of it and, as a result, making a big deal out of it. You had the conversation so many times with friends already that you were sick of it at this stage. People either pitied you with a classic ‘it will happen soon!’ response, or said you were lucky you hadn’t been disappointed yet. Both replies were ultimately useless. You would rather the subject was just brushed under the carpet altogether. 

Unable to stand it for long, you shrugged. “Are you guys trying to make me feel like I’m in a zoo?”

“Christ, doll,” Bucky replied. “No! I think we’re just kinda… surprised.”

You tried your best to keep your voice calm and level. “I get it. I’m in my late twenties and a virgin. It’s weird.”

“It’s not weird, Y/N,” Steve said in your defence.

“Well…” Scott drawled with a slight slur in his voice. “It is a _little_ unusual, no offence.”

“None taken. I’ve been dealing with this talk since I was eighteen. I’m used to it.”

From his seat, Tony narrowed his eyes inquisitively. “Is it okay for me to ask why? Like, is it for religious reasons? Or a personal choice?”

“Just luck, I guess.” You thought about it for a second and tried to ignore the small part of you that yearned for physical intimacy. “I never met anyone who I felt that close with.”

“So just waiting for the right guy or girl?”

You chuckled slightly, thankful that you weren’t sober for this conversation. “I guess so. It would be cool if he stopped taking his sweet time, but yeah.”

“Can I just cover my earlier comment?” Scott asked. “I meant that it was unusual because you’re such a catch.”

“I agree with Tic-Tac,” Sam chimed in. “The men in this country are clearly blind.”

Natasha clinked her bottle off his. “Cheers to that. They’re definitely clueless.”

While you appreciated their attempt to build your self confidence, you tried your best to be done with the conversation without seeming rude. “You guys don’t need to give me the whole sympathy speech — I’ve gotten it way too many times before. I’m not ashamed of it, okay?”

A chorus of drunken no’s! met your ears, and you couldn’t help but smirk at their reaction.

“We’re not saying that you should be ashamed!” Wanda insisted. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

“Yeah,” Tony agreed. “If anyone should be ashamed, it’s the guy who didn’t get banged until he was ninety.”

“ _Hey!”_

Thor quickly hushed his friend. “He is only teasing you to make Y/N feel more at ease, Captain.”

While they continued to shout positive words and compliments your way, you held up your hands and managed to eventually calm the heroes down so that you could address the whole room. “Look, I appreciate the support group — trust me, I do — but how about we move on to the next question and stop discussing my sex life?”

“Sounds like a splendid idea, darling,” Loki added, casually wrapping a comforting arm around your shoulder. “How about a question about orgies so that I may finish my drink?”

“You’re putting us all to shame!” Tony exclaimed, pointing an unsteady finger in your friend’s direction. “Usually _I’m_ the one that wins this game!”

“I was unaware that one could even _win_ at this game, Stark.”

After your request and Loki’s interjection, the Avengers moved on with the game and didn’t bring up the new titbit of information revealed about you. You happily remained in your seat on the couch, letting your head rest against the Trickster’s shoulder as you finished drink after drink. You had no idea why he let you be cuddly with him when you were drinking or tired, given his general attitude towards physical affection. The rest of the team used to stare at the pair of you when he started to accept your hugs and close proximity. They never looked twice when Bucky or Steve pulled you into a tight hug, but Loki never seemed like the cuddly type.

“She is just special, my friends,” Thor used to say with a big goofy smile on his face. “And worthy of my brother’s affections!”

After a while, the game came to an end, and the thoroughly inebriated group began to drift back into casual conversation and dancing around the room. Only when you got up for a refreshment and wobbled unsteadily on your feet did you notice your own state. You were fully prepared to fall flat on your face and just accept your fate when a pair of large hands grabbed your waist to secure your tipping form. You looked over your shoulder to see Loki watching you with concern.

“Thanks,” you breathed, using his help to stand straight. “I was about to fall right over!”

“I noticed,” he deadpanned and got to his feet. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah! Well, I was about to go get another beer, but I might be more drunk than I thought…”

“An astute observation.”

You narrowed your eyes at him before replying. “Hey! How come you ain’t as drunk as the rest of us?”

He snickered and removed his hands from you. “Because I know how to pace myself, love.”

“Pfft, Thor told me about all those Asgardian banquets you got drunk at, y'know.”

“I’m sure he did, and I can assure you that he was just as inebriated, if not more so.”

Now that you were standing, the alcohol hit you full force. You had _definitely_ had enough to drink. Yes, more than enough, and you desperately needed your sweet, comfy bed. “Ugh, nope, I’m out.”

“Indeed you are. Do you need my help to get to bed?”

Releasing a tired groan, you answered. “Ugh, _yes!_ That would be great. I dunno if I have to energy to drag myself up there.”

Ever the gentleman, Loki placed a hand on your lower back to help guide you out of the room. You shouted your goodbyes at your friends, who responded in kind and wished you a good night’s sleep. Above the noise, Thor yelled something about Loki ‘getting you home safe’. Though the long walk to your room was a wobbly one, it was still clear in your memory. You had rambled on and on about how you couldn’t get over the fact that Captain America thought pineapple belonged on pizza. How _unpatriotic_ of him! Your friend listened patiently, despite the fact you were spouting nonsense. Why he reserved such patience for your waffle, you had no clue.

_I suppose that’s what friends do!_

“Here we are,” he announced as you reached your door. He eased you inside with a gentleness only you seemed to ever witness. He helped you clamber on to the bed and carefully removed your shoes. As he disappeared off into the small kitchen connected to your room, you shrugged off your party clothes and pulled on a loose top and tracksuit bottoms. You lay on the bed and smiled delightedly as your body sank into the soft mattress. You made a mental note to thank Tony for buying such sinky and comfy mattresses the next time you saw him.

“You will need these tomorrow,” Loki said as he appeared back in your room with a jug of water, a glass, and some pain killers. “Do you need anything else?”

“No, ’m fine,” you mumbled and curled up under the covers. “You’re the best, Loki. Thank you.”

“I know. Just get some rest, Y/N.”

You were already drifting off when you felt his hand gently brush some hair off your face. As you fell into a deep sleep, the last thing you heard was him leaving your room and shutting the door behind him.


	2. The Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While you recover from a mighty hangover, Loki approaches you with a surprising offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, okay, I’m not even gonna try to justify any of this. It’s just lengthly trash, and I am trash for writing it. Please enjoy the smut that I hope isn’t cringe beyond belief.  
> Oh, two slight sidenotes; I have corrected small mistakes within the first chapter (thank the lawd my beta has returned) and feel free to hit me up on Tumblr (unofferable-fic) if you enjoyed this trashy chapter. I'd love to hear what you guys think!
> 
> Playlist (https://spoti.fi/2Ma4qke): “Can’t Stand Losing You” — The Police, “Michicant” — Bon Iver, “Candles” — Daughter, “Soledad E…” — Gerd Baumann

The morning after the party, you woke up with a nasty hangover. Your throat was so dry that swallowing was nearly impossible to do without a small amount of pain. Thankfully you still remembered the whole night, and didn’t recall doing anything _too_ embarrassing. You rolled over in bed with a groan, and only then noticed the water and painkillers waiting for you.

“Loki, you absolute saint,” you mumbled to yourself and quickly took two tablets before downing most of the water. You couldn’t afford much time being wasted on feeling sorry for yourself, so you reluctantly got to your feet and pulled on some fresh clothes.

You headed out to the communal kitchen in the compound to grab some breakfast, hoping that maybe someone had left some food for you when they had prepared your own earlier that morning. Upon arrival, you saw Loki and Steve already there sitting at the counter, the former drinking a cup of tea while flipping through his latest book. Steve had his eyes fixed on a newspaper while he munched on some pancakes. When he noticed you, he smiled. “Mornin’.”

“Good morning, guys,” you replied and wandered over to the fridge.

“How are you feeling?” Loki asked.

“I’ve been better, but I’ll be fine. Thank you for the pills and the water by the way. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Think nothing of it. I left your mug there and hot water in the kettle if you wish to have a cup of tea.”

You looked to the counter and, sure enough, there was your mug with a tea bag already inside, and the kettle beside it steaming and ready.

“There are some leftover pancakes too, if you want some,” Steve offered as he finished the last bite on his plate. “There should be enough there for you.”

“You made pancakes?” you exclaimed in delight and quickly poured some hot water into your mug. You turned and planted a kiss on the Captain’s cheek. “You’re too good. I would have been lost without you two this morning.”

Steve smiled softly at your words. “No problem. They’re on top of the oven. We already got the syrup, fruit, and milk here so just bring the pancakes and your tea over.”

“Aye aye, Captain.”

You followed his suggestion, and you were soon sat at the counter beside Loki and Steve, happily shovelling pancakes into your mouth. While the god sat reading in a relaxed silence, Steve chatted with you about how the party went after your absence.

“I meant to say to you,” he began and scratched the back of his neck. “But I didn’t want to say it if front of everyone else—” His eyes flitted to Loki before continuing. “—but uh, about what you told us last night. It’s no big deal, really.”

“You mean about the virgin thing?” you asked.

“Yeah. I mean, take it from me — I waited a long time too. Probably _way_ too long, but it’ll happen when it happens. I don’t think you _are_ worrying, but I just wanted to tell you not to. I know how you feel, but you’ll be okay. Just make sure it’s with someone who you’re comfortable with when you do decide to get to it.”

“Damn, I never thought I’d get sex advice off Captain America.” You chuckled at his blushing. “I’m kidding, Steve, but thank you. I appreciate the advice.”

“No problem. I’m always here if you ever want to talk about it, okay? Anyway, I have to go do some training exercises with the others, which means I gotta go make sure they’re awake. Wish me luck.”

You obliged and wished him good luck as he left you and your friend alone in the kitchen. Once it was just the two of you, Loki placed a bookmark on his current page and shut the book. His green eyes met yours and he smirked. “Hungover?”

“A little,” you replied. “But I’ve certainly been worse.”

“Oh, I know. It is hard to forget your last encounter with Asgardian alcohol.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

“I will make sure to remind you for the rest of existence. Now, putting that aside, are you still alright for our arrangement tonight?”

Ah, yes. Tonight!

It had become customary for you and Loki to watch films and tv shows together. It came about when you informed him that some of his favourite Midgardian books had been adapted into films and curiosity ultimately got the better of him. You were due to begin the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy tonight.

You nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, definitely! I might be a bit late in the lab tonight but I’ll text you when I’m finishing up.”

“You are aware that Stark told you to take today off?”

“I know, but Bucky is having problems with his arm of late and I promised I would take a look at it for him.”

“Alright, well let me know when you are nearly finished and I shall get the food and beverages ready.”

“Awesome,” you answered and checked the time on your phone. Noting that you were due to meet Bucky in ten minutes, you quickly downed the rest of your tea. “Right, I have to head but thank you for making my morning a little easier to manage.”

“I hope you know that princes rarely do such things,” he replied with a mischievous smile. “Usually I have people running around after _me_.”

“Wow, now I feel even more special! You really know how to make a girl blush.”

Noting your playful attitude, he replied in kind, his voice taking on a lower, suggestive tone. “I also know how to make them moan.”

“I’m sure you do, Prince Loki. I’m sure all the ladies in Asgard go crazy for you. You can tell me all about it later.” Placing a swift kiss on his cheek, you waved goodbye and headed off to get to work.

Tony was already in the lab when you arrived, despite the late night. He appeared surprised to see you, but seemed willing to offer some jobs when you insisted that you really wanted to get to work. Bucky arrived a little while later and you attended to his arm as promised. He chatted as you worked away, and eventually steered the conversation to yesterday’s revelation. You were a little surprised when he offered you an apology, worried that he had perhaps upset or offended you. You reassured him that he did no such thing, and that there was nothing to apologise about.

After working on Bucky and solving the small kink in his arm, Tony approached you and insisted that you finish up earlier today than originally planned. Thinking that you would get more time to hang out with Loki this way, you thanked him and agreed. It was just after 7 in the evening when you packed up and said your goodbye to your boss. Once safely back in your room, you sent Loki a message:

**_ Me _ **

_ Tony let me off work early! What time would you like me to head to your room? :) _

**_ God of Jokes _ **

_ Splendid. And I shall come to your room momentarily. _

**_ Me _ **

_ But isn’t it my turn to come to you? _

**_ God of Jokes _ **

_ Yes, but you are a hungover and frail mortal. I will come to you with supplies. _

**_ Me _ **

_ You’re too good to me <3 Just gimme a few minutes to change. _

**_ God of Jokes _ **

_ Of course. I’m the fun one after all x _

You laughed and changed into some comfier clothes while you waited for his arrival. As you were setting up the film, a knock sounded on your door. You couldn’t help but run over like an excited child and pull it open, revealing Loki on the other side. The sight of his grinning face caused your heart to flutter. Sometimes he was too attractive for his own good.

“I brought refreshments,” he said, gesturing to copious amounts of crisps, chocolate, and bottles of Coke in his arms. “Are you ready?”

“For the _Lord of the Rings_? Always.”

You stepped aside to let him in and took in his casual attire as you did. He was already in his pyjamas, which consisted of green tartan pants and a black t shirt, the sight of which always made you giggle a bit.

“How was work?” he asked as he made himself at home on your bed.

You shrugged and sat down beside him. “The usual. I sorted out Bucky’s arm and Tony gave me other things to stay busy. What were you up to today?”

“Captain Rogers asked that Thor and I train with him, so I was stuck with them for most of the afternoon. Other than that I was just waiting for you to finish working.”

“Awh, why? Did you miss me that much?”

“Yes, I was fretting the whole time while trying not to murder anyone around me.”

“Ugh, you’re so overdramatic. I love it.”

“That is because you love everything about me.”

“Yep. Even your flaws.”

He tilted his head and feigned cluelessness. “What flaws?”

You snorted and grabbed the tv remote. “Oh, you’re funny. _Very_ funny.”

“Yes, and you love it.”

“Shut up, I’m turning the movie on.”

He respected your wishes, even if he enjoyed your constant teasing. He seemed interested in the film too. It was usually a good sign when Loki hadn’t declared himself bored beyond belief after thirty minutes of viewing. You were hoping he would enjoy the movie just as much as you and, by the end of the four hour run, he appeared content. While you both lay side by side on the bed, propped up against the headboard with pillows at your backs, he happily discussed all of his favourite aspects and characters. You loved hearing him talk passionately about these kind of things, and he was just as happy to discuss them with you. Without any ounce of exaggeration, you could easily listen to him talk for hours and not grow bored. He insisted on hearing your thoughts as well, and you cheerfully obliged. At one point, you told him to pause so that you could go to the bathroom. Upon your return, he urged you back to the bed.

“I wish to speak with you,” he announced. “Come.”

You eyed him curiously before following his orders. “Alright, Mr Serious. What’s this about?”

“Your interesting confession last night.”

You groaned. Did he really need to talk to you about this? “You’re not going to lecture me like Steve are you?”

He chuckled. “No, I do not intend to. Stop making assumptions.”

“Alright, what is it then?”

“I just wish to ask you some questions,” he admitted, eying you carefully as he spoke. “If you don’t mind answering them.”

“Is curiosity getting the better of you?” you teased.

“Obviously.” Once you urged him on and sat cross-legged in front of him, he continued. “Were you being honest when you told Stark that you just haven’t found the right partner yet?”

You nodded. “Yes. I wasn’t lying about that.”

“So you are not actively avoiding sex or sexual partners?”

“No, I’m not. I’ve gone on dates and had some short-term boyfriends, but I never really liked them enough or even trusted them to go further than that.”

“I see. So a ‘one night stand’ as Barnes would put it, is not an option?”

You shrugged. “I don’t exactly like the idea of having sex with a stranger. Especially considering it would be my first time doing it. Imagine how that conversation would go? ‘Hey, I know I’m gonna be thirty in a few years, but I’ve actually never fucked anyone before, so if you could give me some tips I should be ready to go.’”

That had him laughing in spite of the serious discussion. He looked at you with a kind expression. “Alright, so a stranger isn’t favourable then.”

“Not at all. I’d have to trust the person I’m sleeping with.”

“Like a friend?”

You raised a brow at him. “I mean, I guess? I never really thought about it. You mean like a friends with benefits kind of thing?”

“If that is the appropriate term for casual sex between friends, then yes.”

It wasn’t exactly such an off the wall idea. Apparently such things were relatively common. You recalled having some friends in college who were doing exactly that with other people. It seemed to work for them at the time, but you never really pursued it yourself, mostly because you were so focused on assignments. And now, with the unexpected twists that life had thrown at you, some of your closest friends resided in this compound. You couldn’t stop your mind from drifting to the man who was sitting rather close to you now. You would be the first to acknowledge that Loki was attractive — how anyone could refer to him ‘greasy’ was beyond you. But you highly doubted that he saw you as anything other than his friend. “Who would I even do that with though? Steve? Sam? Bucky?”

“Well, I was going to suggest myself, but if you would prefer one of the super soldiers—”

You whipped your head around so quickly that you nearly fell off the bed.

_What did he just say?!_

“ _Excuse me?_ ” you spluttered, meeting the Trickster’s calm expression.

He seemed mildly amused by your reaction. “Excuse you?”

“What did you just say?”

“Well,” Loki began slowly, eying you intently. “I was suggesting that maybe you and I could engage in a casual sexual relationship. I had a better and more intriguing way to say it, but you appear to be panicking—”

“I’m not panicking!” you cut him off, voice already louder than you intended. “I just… I didn’t realise you… That you—”

As if getting you back for shutting him up, he pressed a finger against your lips. “Hush before you give yourself an aneurysm. What I am suggesting, is that I could be your first. If you wish to sleep with someone with whom you are familiar, comfortable, and attracted to, then I am more than happy to offer my services if you would like them.”

You couldn’t answer. No, you weren’t horrified by the idea of having sex with Loki — or the idea of sex in general — you just hadn’t expected him to willingly jump into your bed. You sat in thoughtful silence for a moment and appreciated how he gave you time to think. He had removed his finger from your lips and now let his whole hand rest atop yours.

“Why?” you piped up eventually, having levelled out your voice once more. “Why would you do that for me?”

“Ah, it is not only beneficial for you, you know,” he answered with a wink. You rolled your eyes as he continued. “It has been some time since I took a lover, and I am getting agitated myself. That, and I could tell by your reaction yesterday that this _is_ something you struggle with, even if it isn’t at the forefront of your mind. You are the only true friend I have on this mess of a rock, and if I can help you in anyway then I am going to offer it regardless.”

Oh God, you could feel your heartbeat quickening with each word he spoke. You were so used to Loki’s sarcastic quips that his moments of genuine care and concern left you dumbfounded.

_This alien will be the death of me…_

“You would do that for _me?_ ”

“I mean, it will prove to be enjoyable for _me_ as well as you. It is not entirely self-sacrificing! It will be casual with no strings attached, but I promise to be attentive because you are my friend. It shan’t be serious — just a bit of fun, really.”

“Wow, so you would sleep with a mortal just for me? I’m honoured.”

He chuckled at your jest and you thanked your quick wit for helping to ease the tension in the room even a little bit. “Yes, I have never had a mortal before, so you must be something special. Think of it as just a helping hand.”

The more he spoke, the more you were coming around to the idea. Finally, you could have a comfortable opportunity to have sex, and with _Loki_ no less. _Loki!_ Who was also your friend! Yes, you needed questions answered beforehand. “And what about our friendship? I don’t want to do anything that might ruin it.”

“I promise that I shan’t treat you any differently afterwards. Your friendship is important to me, and I have no intention of losing it.”

“Okay, good… And is this a one time thing?”

“It can be just this once, or it can continue after that for as long as you wish.”

“But what about what you want?”

At your question, a grin slowly formed on the god’s thin lips. “Oh, darling, I can assure you that if it were up to _me_ , I would never let you out of my bed.”

“ _Stop_ ,” you laughed, covering your open mouth with your free hand. “You’re an absolute _scoundrel_ , you know that?”

“And yet, you love it.” He paused, eyes flitting over your face as he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. You couldn’t help but watch him closely. Your stomach felt like it was doing summersaults. “Well, what do you think? You do not have to answer me now, if you wish.”

You took a small breath, the words on the tip of your tongue. Part of you wanted to run and hide from the sinful way this god was looking at you. And yet, the other part of you that lay dormant in the belief that he could never find you appealing, was dragging itself out of uncertainty and demanding that you did something out of your comfort zone for once. This was the opportunity you had been waiting for.

_Fucking grab it._

“I think I might like to try.”

His eyes widened ever so slightly at your words. “You think so?”

You couldn’t stop smiling. You wouldn’t say it aloud, but you were proud of yourself for jumping into something you would normally never manage. “Yeah, I want to try.”

“Right now?” he asked, voice getting lower as he tensed on the bed. “If you wish to stop at any time we can. We could just test the waters if that would be more comfortable for you.”

“That sounds good to me. I think if I put it off I might get a bit too nervous.”

“There is nothing to be afraid of,” he replied softly, pulling himself closer to you so that his shoulder was touching yours. “I will look after you. Do you trust me?”

It was comical really — here was the God of Mischief and Lies outright asking you if you _trusted_ him. You knew that there were people in this compound who would never trust him no matter what he did. And yet, here you sat, content in his company and more than happy to be physically intimate with a man who turned your city to rubble. Thanos’ influence or not, this wasn’t exactly how you pictured your first time going.

“Yeah,” you answered honestly. “I trust you.”

The admission had him breathing deeply and watching you with an unfamiliar glint in his green eyes. “Good. We can begin then.”

“What first?” you asked, swallowing thickly and trying to stay calm under his hungry gaze.

“I am going to kiss you, preferably until you are breathless.”

“God, you’re cheesy.”

Loki didn’t even deny it. Instead, he leaned his body into yours and placed a hand on the side of your face. He gave you a once over, presumably making sure that you were comfortable before he pressed a soft kiss against your lips. You relaxed into this kiss, your eyes slipping shut as you tried not to over think what was about to happen. When he pulled back you trailed after him and reluctantly let your connection break. 

You had been worried that kissing Loki would end up feeling weird, but when you opened your eyes again and saw his face, all you wanted was his lips back on yours.

“Is that alright?” he asked, obviously wondering the same thing as you.

You nodded and, completely disregarding any worry of seeming overeager, sat closer to him. “Uh huh, but do it again.”

“ _Gladly_ ,” he growled before capturing your lips once more. This time it was a searing exchange, deeper and more sure than before. He eased your lips open and pulled your chest flush against his. The contact had you shivering and grasping at the collar of his t shirt. A well placed bite on your bottom lip resulted in his tongue slipping into you mouth, and you were suddenly hyper aware that you were kissing your best friend.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, breaking the kiss and resting his forehead against yours. “I can tell your thoughts are going a mile a minute.”

You breathed heavily and allowed your hands to slide upwards and cup his face gently. “Sorry. I just realised that I was kissing my bestie.”

“Does it make you uncomfortable?”

“No, actually… I thought it would, but it feels good.”

That seemed to be enough of an answer for Loki, who proceeded to kiss you once more and ease your back on to the bed. He climbed on top of you, wrapping his strong arms around you as he claimed your lips as his. After a few moments of fulfilling his promise to make you breathless, he moved down and began to ravage your neck. His teeth left you hissing his name before you could stop yourself.

“I need to know what you have done with your previous partners,” he murmured against the skin below your ear. “So that I know with what you are comfortable.”

“Most of it.”

He chuckled and nipped at your earlobe. “So men have used their fingers and mouths on you before?”

“I’m a virgin,” you huffed. “I’m not fucking _dead_.”

“Noted.”

His hands slid unexpectedly under your top, caressing the bare skin just below your breasts. You met his gaze and groaned. “Don’t you dare tease me.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” he snickered before swiftly pulling the piece of clothing up over your head and tossing it behind him. While the reveal of your bare chest had you shivering, he stared at you with blown pupils and cupped a breast in his large hand. “Look at you, my dear. You are a sight to behold.”

His words made you blush, and instead of acknowledging his compliments, you tugged on the hem of his own t shirt. He reluctantly pulled away from your chest so that you could pull the garment off. Much like he had been studying you carefully, you couldn’t help but stare at his defined chest. Your eyes ran over the smatter of dark hair that covered his pecs and trailed below his navel. 

“You are staring,” he teased, pinching a nipple between his fingers to grab your attention. “You can touch me, if you so please.”

“Shut up.”

Even with the gorgeous god kneeling above you, your eyes trailed over his pale skin, more specifically, they focused on the scars that were littered all over him. A particularly nasty looking one marred the skin just below his chest. You knew where it came from. Thor of all people had told you about what went down on Svartalfheim. You heard about Loki’s death and unintentional survival. You knew that he was still somewhat self-conscious about the markings on his skin, so you sat up — your head level with his abdomen — and delicately traced the scars with your fingers. The contact caused shivers to fly through his body. You felt one of his hands slide its way into your hair. Feeling daring, you placed a soft kiss on the gnarled skin beneath his pectorals. You didn’t know what possessed you to do such a thing, but you couldn’t help it. 

“Tonight is not about me,” he rasped from above, and you looked up to see his gaze fixed on you. “Lay down, darling.”

You complied, allowing him to drape himself over you once more. He kissed you deeply, now with less urgency, before moving down your body. Though you anticipated his next move, you couldn’t prevent yourself from crying out as he took a nipple into his mouth. He kissed, and sucked, and licked at your skin until it was bruised and raw, and until your throat ached from gasping. You weren’t expecting him to suddenly cup the spot between your legs. The contact made you yelp despite the pyjamas in the way. Your legs wobbled as he left your breasts behind and moved further down to bite at your hips. He hooked his fingers around the hem of your bottoms and, after a sure nod from you, pulled them down your legs. The action left you completely bare, and Loki stared at you with intrigue. You had maybe expected some teasing, but the way his eyes appraised you left you speechless.

“You are beautiful,” he murmured with a soft sincerity that seemed almost foreign. He traced a hand down between your breasts and trailed down your stomach. As he settled between you legs, he caressed you delicately and teased your entrance with a single digit. Just as he slid his finger inside, your eyes slipped shut in delight. “ _Gods_ , you are dripping wet. Look at how easily your heat takes me in. Roll your hips for me.”

You did as instructed and was immediately rewarded with searing pleasure as Loki foundthe exact spot inside of you he needed to bring about your release. You bit your lip as satisfaction rippled through your body, but the moan that escaped you encouraged his movements.

“That’s it,” he rumbled, slipping a second finger inside you. “Look at how wanton you are for me. This feels good, doesn’t it? Can you imagine how my cock would feel inside you?”

This was most definitely not how you planned this night to go.

You released a breathless sigh as your hips urged him deeper. “Fuck, Loki…”

“Do my words excite you? What if I told you how I hungered to taste you?”

“I’d tell you to get to it then,” you admitted boldly. “Instead of telling me, you should show me.”

For a moment, you were worried that you defiant words might anger him, but instead he merely smirked, eased himself between your legs, and ran his tongue from his fingers to the sensitive bud above. His licks made you groan and clamp down on to his fingers. God, you knew it was cheesy, but he really wasn’t called the Silver Tongue for nothing. He repeated the action, this time ending it by circling your clit with his tongue. When he began to suck it between his lips, your hand flew down to grasp at his dark hair. The relentless flicking and lapping of his tongue had you mewling his name over and over again. As your moaning grew, so did his pace, urging you on to an unexpected climax that left you dazed. Your whole body tensed as you dissolved into pleasure. Only when you came down from your high did Loki ease up on his movements. As he propped himself up to gaze at you, his lips were shining with your release. The sight of his open mouth and lidded eyes caused the fire in your abdomen to ignite all over again.

“You taste divine,” he purred, licking his lips clean and kneeling between your parted thighs. Your eyes focused on his hands as he began to shove down his own pyjama bottoms. “I have to have you. I wish to feel your heat engulf me as you come undone.”

God, his dirty talk — could you even call it dirty when he was _this_ eloquent about it? — had you hungry for more. You knew that he was giving you a moments pause to back out if you wanted, but the desperate throbbing inside you couldn’t be argued with. You wanted him and no one else would do.

The unveiling of his hard arousal only gave you further reason to continue.

“You’re staring again,” you heard him say, and reluctantly pulled your eyes upwards to meet his. He suddenly seemed a bit shy. “Am I to your liking?”

“Of course,” you whispered honestly and smiled softly. “How could you not be? I’m ready when you are. But, eh, what about protection?”

“If you mean protection to prevent you from becoming pregnant, I have magic that can be used afterwards as a substitute. I am safe to ravish you with absolutely nothing between us until I spill my seed inside you. If you were anyone else I would have you beg for me, my sweet girl, but a first time deserves tenderness and thoroughness. Your pleasure is mine to bring about until you cannot utter anything other than the name of your king.”

You had had _enough_. His words left you wanting — no, _needing_ him to take you now and not a second later. You reared upwards so that you could capture his lips in your own. You pulled his bottom lip between your teeth and bit down lightly in your hast and desperation. He chuckled and proceeded to push you down on to the covers with his lipslatching on to your neck.

“Do you want me inside you?” he breathed, tickling the edge of your ear as he left marks on your skin. “For me to be your first? I need to hear you say it.”

“Yes, I do!” you stuttered, grasping on to his rear as he bucked his hard length against your core. “For God sake, Loki, _please_. I want you. You’re going to drive me mad.”

His face reappeared above yours, his eyes studying you for any ounce of hesitation. When he found none, he cupped your cheek with one hand as he reached for his cock with the other. “And so you shall have me.”

You felt him nudging at your entrance and jolted at the contact. His eyes never left yours as he gently sank into your welcoming heat. He took his time, stopping to kiss you thoroughly if you flinched or winced. Your nails dug into the strong muscles on his back. You could feel him stretching you to your limits, the small uncomfortable burn between your legs ever legs ever present as he filled you. Suddenly, he stopped. You looked at him in confusion until you felt his body shift against you. A deep rumbling moan escaped him, his eyes dropping shut as he buried himself to the hilt.

“Are you alright?” he asked unsteadily, gently nuzzling your cheek with his nose.

You nodded in reply and hugged his body closer. “Yeah, I think so. It doesn’t hurt, so I’m okay.”

“Good. You feel incredible, Y/N. So tight for me…”

“Uh, I feel really full though.” You gulped and briefly contemplated whether you should continue speaking. “I, eh, I’m sure you already know this, but you’re _big_.”

A grin spread across his face and he nipped at your earlobe. “You really know how to make a man feel proud.”

“Do you ever stop?”

“No, I do not. But I must ask you to tell me to stop if you are at all uncomfortable.”

“Right, well I promise I’ll let you know if I want to stop.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

With his hips flush against yours, Loki propped himself up on his elbows. You watched transfixed where your bodies were connected as he pulled himself back slightly, then eased back in. You couldn’t help but wince at the unfamiliar sensation. Despite this, the more he moved, the more the discomfort began to dissolve into pleasure you had been eager to discover. You shivered as your body grew used to the feeling of your friend buried deep inside you. God, just the thought of that had your heart thumping away in your chest. As his movements grew stronger, you held him tighter in your arms and a haze claimed your head. The desire you felt for him was well and truly consuming you as he put his whole body into his thrusts. Each snap of his hips caused him to grunt. Your desperate moans joined his noises, and you felt no embarrassment at letting your pleasure consume you. You wet heat welcomed him easier now, and your hips were bucking up to meet him against your will. Your eyes fell shut as your head tilted back against the bed covers, and Loki took the opportunity to assault your breasts with heavy kisses. Within your abdomen, the pressure grew and you approached a second orgasm.

“Oh _God_ ,” you breathed, squeezing your eyes shut tighter as his steady rhythm quickened. “Fuck, keep doing that.”

“You have to look at me while I fuck you,” you heard him reply, his breath fanning your face. “I want to see you come undone.”

With what little obedience you had left, you forced your eyes open once more and met Loki’s face above you. You weren’t exactly sure what you were expecting, but your friend appeared different. The look on his face was one you didn’t recognise. Yes, you were more used to his friendly smiles and gentler expressions, but this was… different. The expression with which you were met was one quite similar to surprise or amazement. His brows were slightly titled as if he was taken aback to find you below him. His eyes studied you with a fondness you had yet to experience, but you felt yourself watching him in the same way as he rolled his hips with expert accuracy. You always thought Loki was an attractive god, but the sight of him above you with his black hair encapsulating his face and his lips parted in pleasure left you breathless.

The very sudden tightening of the coil inside dragged you from your daydream. You let out an embarrassingly loud gasp of his name before his movement slowed and left you wanting. 

You huffed and looked at him in frustration but saw no hints of jesting in his face. “Don’t stop, please.”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stroked your cheek with one hand as the other explored every part of your sweaty body. His fingers found their way back down between your thighs and the contact caused you to release a low whine. Only then did he reply. “I need you to come with me. I want us to come together. Can you do that, darling?”

“Yes,” you agreed, adoring his shameless tone. “If you go faster I can.”

He growled as he abided by your wishes. With his forehead pressed against yours, hehooked your leg around his hip and rutted into you. His powerful grinding was exactly what you needed to reach your peak. 

Your splayed hands dug into his muscular back as you came. The coiled spring broke as the pleasure consumed you for a final time. Your hips jerked relentlessly as you fell apart, profanities slipping from between your lips. You tried to focus on Loki’s amazed expression as he urged you to such a state that your body couldn’t handle. You sank into the mattress while your limbs locked around him, the pleasure pulsing through you before he too came with a cry of your name. His hips pressed flush against yours, stuttering ever so slightly. He pulsed and emptied himself inside you. The feeling within you was surreal, though you couldn’t help but shiver with how intimate it felt. You couldn’t look away from his hooded eyes either and softly brushed your lips against his. 

“Fuck… Are you alright?” he asked, trying to steady his breathing.

You reassured him with a lazy nod. “Yeah. That was… fun.”

He chuckled and kissed you softly. “It really was. You seemed to be enjoying yourself with the amount of times you screamed my name.”

“Yeah, well, I figured you would be into that kind of thing.”

With a soft kiss on your nose, he placed his hand on your lower abdomen and murmured an incantation. You assumed this was his method of contraception as let him do whatever needed to be done.

The weight of his twitching body above you was a welcome feeling and, after a few moments of relishing his tight embrace, he pulled away. You winced as he slipped from your body, soft and wet after your time together. He kneeled between your thighs and fixed his eyes between your legs. You blushed under his intense gaze. “What are you doing?”

He grinned wryly. “Looking at my come inside you, of course.”

“Stop that right now!” you insisted, squishing your legs closed as your cheeks burned. “That’s so _weird_ , Loki, oh my god.”

“It is actually quite natural!” He shook his head and conjured a cloth in his hand. “Will you at least allow me to clean you before I go?”

The last word in his query left you feeling uneasy. You could only lay there and watch as he gently wiped away both of your juices. You didn’t exactly know what to say, but the thought of him leaving you now was, well, heartbreaking. You felt so vulnerable and needy. Despite wishing you weren’t panicking over such a stupid notion, you felt tears burning in the corners of your eyes.

Loki had noticed as well. “What is wrong, darling?”

“Could you stay?” you blurted before you could help it. “I would really prefer for you to stay with me.”

He relented as he made the cloth vanish before your eyes. “If you would rather I stay, then stay I shall.”

You felt yourself ease into a sense of security once more and you couldn’t help but smile at your him. You had never slept in the same bed as Loki before, but suddenly now it didn’t feel weird to scurry under the covers and feel his arms wrap around you. It _should_ have been weird, and yet it wasn’t. His gentle breath blowing against the back of your neck soothed you, and his firm chest pressed against your back made you feel safe.

It was odd, but you put it down to feeling needy after sex. That was normal, right? You had heard that was normal, so you tried not to think about it too much. 

You shut off the lamp beside your bed and plunged the room into darkness. Though your mind seemed eager to think about how good it felt to lay next to Loki, his antics had well and truly worn you out. Sleep was definitely needed.

“Loki?” you whispered tiredly into the darkness.

“Hmm?” he answered, his nose lightly tracing the edge of your ear.

“I… Thank you for tonight. I really did have a lot of fun.”

“There is no need to thank me. I enjoyed our time together too. But you should get some rest, yes?”

Whatever else that needed to be discussed could wait until morning. For now, you were happy to let Loki hold you as you fell into a calm sleep.


	3. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after your night with Loki brings confrontation and awkward conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay! Life be like that sometimes, I guess. But hopefully this chapter makes up for it! It was getting too long, so I split it into two and turned this lil fic into a four-parter. More content is always fun, right? Thanks to everyone who left such kind words on the first two chapters! You guys make my day :)
> 
> Playlist (https://spoti.fi/2Ma4qke): “Cathy’s Theme” — Ruth Barrett, “I Found” — Amber Run, “The Honest Truth” — Typhoon

A persistent thumping on your bedroom door pulled you from sleep. Gradually becoming aware of your surroundings, you were a little surprised by the feeling of a warm body wrapped around yours. Your exhausted mind needed a moment to recall the events from the night before, and to who the arm circling your waist belonged. 

Loki…

A very distinct memory of him growling into your ear as he came inside you caused your cheeks to flush. What a night it had been.

The banging returned and you rubbed your sleepy eyes.

“Y/L/N, you awake?” Sam’s voice called from the other side of your bedroom door. “Get your lazy ass up!”

“Did you forget you promised to jog with us?” Bucky’s voice joined in, the hint of a smirk in his tone.

_Oh crap,_ you thought. _Yeah, I totally forgot about that._

You groaned into your pillow, and felt Loki’s arms tighten around you. He breathed in deeply before exhaling, his breath tickling the back of your neck.

“Tell them to go away,” he murmured, his voice significantly deeper and rougher in the early hours of the morning.

“You do realise _who_ that is out there, right?” you replied. “They won’t take no for an answer.”

“Well they must, otherwise they will pay for interrupting my rest.”

“Then _you_ tell them to go away.”

The knocking grew louder, as did the men’s taunts.

“These are your chambers, darling — you handle it.”

With a huff, you pulled yourself from his grasp. Hurriedly slipping a large shirt over your head, you clambered out of bed and pulled the door open just enough that you could stick your head out. “Can I help you, gentlemen?”

Sam took one look at your attire and chuckled. “Oh, you definitely forgot.”

“I had a late night, okay?”

“We can tell,” Bucky snickered. “How’d the movie night with Loki go?”

“Great, he loved the movie. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go back to—”

“C’mon, Y/N,” Sam groaned. “You promised the jog with us for once.”

“I’m a _technician_. I don’t even _need_ to jog like you guys. I would much rather spend the rest of my morning in bed before I have to go back to the lab.”

“Yeah, I can see that with the birds nest on your head, the creased tee you’re wearing, and… Damn, what the _hell_ happened to your neck?”

_My neck? … Oh God, my_ neck!

Your eyes flew open as you registered the looks on their faces. Bucky looked momentarily baffled before his mouth fell open.

Your hand shot up to cover whatever hickeys surely graced your skin. The embarrassment caused your cheeks to flush again and for your heart rate to quicken.

“Seems like you guys did more than watch a movie,” Sam commented. “You let the god take your v card?”

Bucky immediately slapped his shoulder with his flesh hand. “Don’t even go there—”

“Is there a problem here, darling?”

You jumped at the voice coming from behind you. You whipped around, only to have your face smash into Loki’s bare chest. His hands immediately grabbed your hips as you nearly toppled over. Only then did you realise that he was totally naked. The only relief you felt came with the knowledge that your body was shielding his most intimate parts from the eyes of the two soldiers.

“ _Wow_ , okay!” Bucky awkwardly exclaimed.

“Damn, Loki!” Sam gasped.

“I beg your pardon? Does my size intimidate you?”

“No, man! But how ’bout putting some clothes on?”

“How about leaving us in peace?” Loki replied calmly before slamming the door closed. “Well, that solves that problem. Shall we go back to bed?”

You barely registered what he was saying. Your mind had gone into panic mode. Bucky could be trusted to keep his mouth shut, but Sam? Oh God, the whole compound was going to find out by the end of the afternoon!

“Y/N? Darling, are you alright?”

“Do I _look_ alright?” you snapped, covering your face with your hands.

The concern in his voice was evident. “What is the matter?”

“He’s going to tell everyone, Loki! The whole team is going to find out what we did!”

His hands gently released your hips as he stood before you with an uncertain expression. “Oh. And that bothers you? Are you… Or rather, do you regret what we did?”

His hushed words hit you harder than expected, and you uncovered your face so that you could meet his green eyes. The vulnerability in them was, for once, blatant.After such an intimate evening, it seemed that both of you had left yourselves naked to the others judgement in both senses of the word.

You gently held his hand in yours. “No, of course not. I just… didn’t exactly want the whole compound to know that I finally… _y’know_.”

“Ah I see.” His long fingers delicately stroked yours. “I apologise. I thought that my presence might convince them to leave us be, and nakedness isn’t very taboo on Asgard.”

“Evidently you were correct,” you laughed. “I’ll just have to deal with the backlash.”

“On your own? You foolish girl. I thought you were smarter than that.”

“Excuse me?”

“I will be here to defend you,” he replied matter of factly. “I refuse to let anyone speak ill of you or the night we shared. Your first time should not be tarnished by the opinions of others. You think I would stand idly by and let them tease you? Hardly.”

You were a little surprised. You weren’t sure why — you supposed it was natural for Loki to defend you given your friendship. But then again, your whole dynamic had shifted since last night’s events. “Well, thank you then. That… means a lot to me.”

“Of course. Think nothing of it.”

You met his soft smile with your own before once more remembering his current state of dress. Your eyes flitted downwards before quickly staring at your own bare feet. “Sorry, I just… I didn’t mean to look—”

Loki laughed in amusement. “My nakedness was meant to scare off Wilson and Barnes, but it certainly isn’t meant to offend you.”

“I’m not offended!”

“But you’re embarrassed?”

“Maybe just a bit.”

“Have you forgotten that I was inside you last night?”

Your throat nearly closed at his blunt words. The very mention of it had your thighs quivering. “Well, no…”

With your eyes still fixed on your feet, you were a little surprised to feel his fingers gently under your chin. With a gentleness reserved for only you, he brought your head up and met your gaze. “My nakedness is for your eyes, darling. Never feel embarrassed about seeing me so bare, considering I am lucky to have seen you in the same light. I do not wish to bring you any discomfort with my affections.”

“You don’t make me uncomfortable,” you quickly replied. “I just wasn’t sure where our boundaries were after last night.”

“That can be discussed, if you like. I can assure you that you may do whatever you like to me for however long you wish that this arrangement continues.”

You raised a brow at his openness. “You’re giving me a lot of free range there. Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“After getting a taste of you last night? Oh, I am very sure.”

Suddenly, he dipped his head down and playfully kissed and sucked at the sensitive skin on your neck. You couldn’t help but giggle as he tickled you and soon found yourself trapped in his embrace once more. You had been worried that awkwardness would consume the pair of you that morning, but it seemed to not be the case. Instead, Loki appeared eager to leave fresh marks on your skin. You probably should have expected as much when getting involved with the God of Mischief.

The soft touch of a sneaky hand that found its way beneath your t shirt caused you to jump. In an instant, his teeth were nipping at your earlobe and causing your body to shiver in his arms. “Is this alright? Does my touch excite you?”

You could only nod in response. His hand quickly scaled your body and gently grasped your breast, gently pinching the nipple.

“ _Gods_ ,” he groaned. “Just thinking about what we did last night makes me hard for you again.”

He wasn’t lying — you could feel the defined hardness pressed against your stomach and it sent you reeling. His size was still beyond intimidating. “I still can’t believe that I…” You stumbled over your words and hesitated. 

“What was that, darling?” he asked, his tone nothing but caring.

“I just… I can’t believe that I managed to take all of you.”

He chuckled, his green eyes twinkling. “And you took me so well. What a good girl you are. You can take me as many times as you wish.”

“Are you serious?” you asked, completely breathless under his skilled hands.

“Did that sound like a jest to you? After having you yesterday, I would be mad to not want you again.”

He was leaning down to capture your lips in his once more when the distant voice of F.R.I.D.A.Y. sounded over the intercom. “ _Sorry to interrupt, Ms Y/L/N, but Boss said he needs you in the lab ASAP._ ”

You heaved out a sigh. “Tell him I’ll be there as soon as I can, F.R.I.D.A.Y..”

“ _Of course, ma’am._ ”

You looked up at Loki apologetically while he frowned. “I’m sorry, but if Tony calls me then I kinda have to go.”

“I understand,” he replied with a sad smile. “We can always meet later, if you like? For dinner, maybe?”

“That sounds good. I’d like that.”

“Splendid. Come to my chambers later whenever Stark let’s you go.”

“Sure thing.” You turned from him and swiftly grabbed some clean clothes and pulled them on. As you pulled on your shoes, you glanced at him over you shoulder. He now sat on the end of your bed, still unfazed by his nudity and still somewhat hard from your earlier activities. You were half expecting for him to pressure you into doing something before getting back to work… But then you remembered _who_ exactly you were dealing with here — Loki was your friend first and foremost, and he seemingly had no intention of pressuring you into anything with which you didn’t feel comfortable. You had been so used to the other guys you were previously involved with goading you for sexual favours, but now you for once felt respected and valued.

Throwing caution to the wind, you stood up once more and approached the naked god. He offered you a smile as you approached.

“I’m sorry to leave you, err, _hanging_ ,” you offered, cringing slightly at your word choice. “I suppose it’s a bit frustrating.”

“I had not taken a lover in many centuries before our encounter, so it is nothing I have not dealt with before.”

“Still,” you drawled, boldly sitting yourself on his thigh. “It seems unfair to leave you wanting while I go to work.”

Noticing the insinuation in your words, he raised a brow in curiosity and wrapped his arms around your waist. “Oh? You think so?”

You nodded slowly. “Um hmm. I don’t have much time, but I want to do _something_ for you.”

“My body is yours, so do with it what you will.”

Noting the clear desire in his eyes, you reached down and grasped his hard length. The contact made him hiss while you grinned. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to give me that much control?”

He chuckled deeply as he twitched in your hand. “Of course, if it means that you touch me like this.”

“I would have been up for doing more,” you explained as you began to pump him slowly. “But this will have to do for the moment.”

“Your hands on me is always enough,” he growled before pulling you into a hard kiss. His urgency surprised you, but you met his keenness with your own. Your lips were crushed together as his whole body shivered under your touch. His willingness to moan under you had your head spinning. The noises gave you an intense sense of pride as your movements sped up. Heaving breaths came between kisses, and you briefly opened your eyes to see that his were still shut. The crease in his brow and look of delight on his face was a sight to behold. You felt so lucky that you could see him this vulnerable. While he insisted that this was all about you, this situation reminded you that you weren’t the only one in such a defenceless position.

“ _Gods_ ,” he rumbled, eyes opening slightly as you pumped away. “I am regretting not coming to you sooner.”

“I’m annoyed that you didn’t.”

“I will make it up to you later… _Fuck, darling._ Faster, please.”

You obliged, earning another low moan that only made you eager to see what he had in store for you later. You pleasured him with your hand until he asked to finish in your mouth. You couldn’t deny him — not that you _wanted_ to — after seeing the look of desperation on his face. The noises he made were reward enough for your impulsive actions, and the searing kiss he planted on your lips afterwards was promise enough that your evening would be a worthwhile one.

It probably should have felt weird, just like the night before should have felt weird when you had sex with a man you considered one of your closest friends. It really should have felt weird, and yet it didn’t. For some reason, you delighted in the feelings that came with his strong embrace and honeyed words. Somehow, Loki had ensnared you and banished your uncertainties in one simple evening. This revelation should have frightened you, and yet, when you waved him goodbye and headed to work, you couldn’t wait to see him again later that night.

 

* * *

 

You managed to get to the lab relatively on time. After your tryst with Loki, he used magic to hide the excessive hickeys on your neck. As far as everyone else was concerned, you in no way looked like you’d spent the night fucking your best friend.

Upon arrival, you were surprised to see Steve sitting at one of the work tables, running his eyes over some schematics for new armour and gear. He looked up as you set your bag down at your usual station. “Mornin’, Y/N.”

You nodded at him. “Steve. Is Tony around?”

“Bathroom break,” he answered and turned to face you. “He shouldn’t be too long.”

“Ah, okay.” You sat yourself down, but felt the captain’s eyes on you as you emptied out the contents of your bag. You paused and raised a brow at him. “Uh, can I help you?”

“Can we talk?” he asked before glancing at the door. “Preferably before Tony gets back.”

“Sure, Steve. Is something wrong?”

“Not at all,” he reassured you and sat on the corner of your desk. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“I didn’t do anything at the party, did I?”you asked, trying not to sound too panicked. “If I tried to give you a lap dance like the last time—”

“No! You didn’t do that again, relax. It’s nothing bad.”

“Alright, then what is it?”

He cleared his throat, but couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off his face. “So uh, before I came to the lab, I bumped into Sam and Bucky as they were heading out for a jog.” Your throat went dry almost immediately. “… And I asked where you were, because I knew that you had planned to go out with ’em.”

_Oh my God, oh shit, oh God!_

“And Sam, kinda bluntly, declared that you were… _busy_ with Loki.”

“I’m going to kill him,” you declared and hid your face in your hands. “Oh God, I’m gonna fucking kill Sam.”

“Y/N, hold your horses—”

“The whole compound is going to know about this now!”

“Hey, relax.” He placed a firm hand on your shoulder and looked at you with concern. “No he won’t — I told him not to spread it around the place. Bucky also threatened to ‘smash his teeth in’ if he said anything.”

You emitted a low groan and sank further into your seat. “This is so _embarrassing_ …”

“It’s not so bad,” Steve offered. “It could certainly be a lot worse.”

“Well I definitely didn’t expect to pop my cherry and then talk to Captain America about it the morning after.”

“I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.” When you gave him a look, he went on. “Not that I thought you wouldn’t be okay — but I know that losing your virginity can be an emotional thing for some people. I didn’t want you to feel like you couldn’t talk about it with someone. As I said to you yesterday, I understand how you feel, so my door is always open if you wanna talk.”

You offered him a slightly awkward smile. “Thanks, Steve. I do appreciate it, really.”

“It’s not a problem. I’m glad you had your first time with someone you cared about though. I’ve been waiting to see when you and Loki would stop being idiots and just acknowledge your feelings for each other.”

You looked up at him curiously. “Feelings?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, obviously. I was wondering which one of you would realise first.”

“I don’t know where this is coming from,” you began, shaking your head. “But me and Loki are just friends.”

“Friends who… have sex?”

“Yeah, y’know — friends with benefits. It was Loki’s suggestion; I get to have my first time with someone I trust, and he gets to have sex for the first time in a couple of centuries.”

“You two,” he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. “I swear to God, you two are so blind.”

You were a little taken aback by the casual insults now tumbling out of the captain’s mouth. Dare you say that you were a little offended? “ _Excuse me?_ ”

“Look,” he began slowly. “I’m not one to interfere, and I made Tony promise that he wouldn’t interfere either, but don’t you think it’s possible that you and Loki might have feelings for each other?”

You wanted to shut him down. Boy, did you want to. You hated the idea that you couldn’t have a guy as a friend without falling head over heels for him. You wanted to say that it was an outdated stereotype — which it _is_ — but instead you let your mind wander back to how it felt when Loki held you in his arms. Yes, you both said it would be casual, and you certainly felt comfortable enough to open yourself up to him. But there was an added element there, one that you hadn’t really experienced before. You put it down to the fact that you had been friends beforehand, but was it perhaps something more than that?

You stuttered in your reply, feeling Steve’s gaze eying you closely. “I… I mean… He’s my friend and I think he was just doing me a favour. Hell, I was doing him a favour too.”

“I’m not saying this to put you under pressure or to freak you out, alright?”

“I’m not freaking out, I’m just… considering it.”

“It might be a good idea to talk to Loki about it,” he offered. “My gut isn’t usually wrong with this kinda stuff.”

“Where’s all this coming from then?”

He snickered and gave you a gentle clap on the shoulder. “You’re kidding, right? You might not see it, but he looks at you like you’re the only thing on this planet that truly makes him happy. Loki has come up leaps and bounds since joining the good guys, and I think your presence has helped him out too. He’s not the guy who attacked New York under Thanos’ command all those years ago. And don’t even get me started on how _you_ look at _him_ when you think none of us are watching!”

Your cheeks flushed at his playful accusations. “I do not look at him like _anything!_ ”

“For someone who hangs around with the God of Lies, you’re a terrible liar.”

“What’s your point, Cap?” you asked with a roll of your eyes.

“Honestly? I think you guys fell for each other and didn’t even realise it because you were already so close. You can’t see the wood for the trees… I’m saying that you should consider it, because I’m not the only one who thinks you two care for each other more than you know. Do you know how many times I’ve had to tell Tony to knock off trying to hook you two up?”

“You’re joking? Thank you for not letting him anywhere either of us.”

“That’s not a problem. But my point still stands, alright? I’m here to help if you need me.”

“Are you lecturing my staff again, Rogers?”

You tore your eyes away from Steve to see Tony strolling back into the room, a large bag of Doritos clutched under his arm.

“I thought you went to the bathroom?” Steve asked.

The older man shrugged in response. “Yeah, and I made a pitstop in the kitchen on my way back. Chip?”

You chuckled before reaching into the offered bag and plopped some chips into your mouth. Steve merely shook his head and grabbed his own handful. 

“Is _this_ what you pulled me out of bed for, Tony?” you asked with a grin.

“Oh, I didn’t drag you down here just for chips.” He offered you his own smile before nodding to the schematics Steve had been eying upon your arrival. “We’ve got work to do.”

“Sounds like my kind of work. Are you sticking around, Steve?”

“I’ve asked him to oversee, actually. Makes sense to have the captain of the team in on the new gear we’ll have up and running.”

Steve nodded. “And if it means that I miss another jog with Bucky and Sam bickering the whole time, then I’m more than happy to oversee.”

“And you get to spend time with the best company this place has to offer,” Tony added with a wink. “So there’s really no downside.”

“Sounds like a win-win.”

“Maybe we can teach you a thing or two, old man,” you teased and nodded to the schematics. “Now that you’ve mastered most twenty-first century technology.”

“Very funny, Y/N. I’ve _never_ heard that one before.”

Tony pulled out another sheet and set it down on the work table. “I’ve got some new battle armour for your boyfriend too.”

You rolled your eyes and took out your notebook and pencil from your bag. “Loki isn’t my boyfriend, Tony.”

“Fine, I have new battle armour for your _bestie_. That better?”

“Much better. Now how about we get to work before you even start teasing me?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Though he agreed to stop, the smirk Tony wore refused to go away completely. “Sorry for the assumption, but it was based entirely on what I heard while wandering the corridors last night.”

You had started to write down some notes from the new schematics as your boss spoke. With his sudden revealing words, you accidentally snapped the pencil lead against the paper with a gulp. You whipped your head up to meet his gaze, completely stunned and self-conscious with having such intimate details known by _him_ of all people. 

Steve seemed both shocked and amused.

Tony merely offered you a genuine smile and a small squeeze of your hand. “Look, I’m not gonna tease you in front of everyone else, but I had to get a little jab in. I wasn’t saying it to embarrass you, but just to let you know that Capsicle isn’t the only one that you can come to if you need any advice, alright? I’m happy for you two, and your secret is safe with me.”

Though you were still well and truly embarrassed by the turn of events, you really appreciated the fact that he was there for you if you needed it. Yeah, it was a somewhat unconventional way to go about telling you, but that was what life was like in the Avengers Compound. Even still, you couldn’t wipe Steve’s suggestions from your mind as you worked hard on your new project. He was right, and you knew it.

You _definitely_ needed to have a chat with Loki.


	4. The Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki seeks help from his big brother, and the lovers finally have a much needed conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to firstly apologise for the delay - I spent a while writing this chapter because I wanted it to be just right, ya feel me? Thank you so much to everyone who read this lil mini series and especially to those who left supportive comments. I'm glad you's enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. I know it was meant to be just smut, but I got swept up in plot okay? So please enjoy the final part of this mess, just shy of 6,000 words. Feel free to hit me up on Tumblr (unofferable-fic) if you wanna say howdy. Thanks, guys <3
> 
> Playlist (https://spoti.fi/2Ma4qke): “Thunder Clatter” — Wild Cub, “Wicked Game - Live Acoustic” — Corey Taylor, “Promise” — Ben Howard

Loki didn’t usually go to Thor for advice. Sure, the brothers had reconciled a lot since Thanos’ defeat, but this was all still a learning curve for them. And yet, he had been feeling somewhat conflicted since he left Y/N’s side that morning. He wasn’t sure who else he could talk to about it, considering Barnes was out with the Falcon, and Stark was in her company already.

It seemed perfectly reasonable to ask Thor what he thought of the whole thing.

He found him in the kitchen packing away some food for travel, a habit he had picked up after seeing Stark packing lunches for the Spiderling. Loki supposed it was nice to bring something comforting and a reminder of home when Avengers missions took them to the farthest corners of Midgard. Thor was thankfully alone in the kitchen.

“Brother, might I have a word?”

Thor looked up from cutting his large sandwiches in half and smiled. “Of course! Have you come to me for some brotherly advice?”

Loki rolled his eyes. “I have not even spoken to you yet and I am already regretting my decision.”

“I merely jest. Come, sit.”

The younger sibling obliged and took a seat at the counter, while the other offered to make him a sandwich. Having not yet eaten anything, he accepted.

“What is it that you wish to speak about?” Thor asked as he set a fresh sandwich down on the counter.

“I wished to discuss something of a private nature. So before I speak of it, I must have your word that this conversation will remain between us.”

Perturbed by the severity of his tone, Thor nodded slowly. “You have my word. What exactly is going on? Are you alright?”

Loki could see it in his eyes — the trepidation and the worry. Ever since they finally spoke of his torture at the hands of the Mad Titan, Thor seemed more attentive and concerned with his wellbeing than ever before. It was a welcome change, one that Loki never thought he would see come to fruition. “Nothing bad is going on, if that is what you mean.”

“Well, that is certainly a relief.”

“I am not all bad, you know.”

“I _do_ know! You have worked hard since joining the team with me. You really proved those who had reservations about you wrong.”

“Yes, well, I worry that some of those people will not be impressed with this latest development.”

“Ooh…” Thor paused, one half of his monstrous sandwich clutched in both hands. “What is this about, Loki?”

He sighed before taking a large bite out of his own sandwich. He took the time to swallow the food and collect himself before biting the bullet. “Y/N.”

“What about her? Have you had an argument?”

“Of course not. Rather, we did the opposite.”

The blonde looked quite puzzled for the briefest of moments before the realisation hit him. “Did you two finally—?”

“Yes, I bedded her, if that is what you were going to ask.”

Thor let out a triumphant cheer. The response was completely unexpected. Even more unexpected was the fact that he ran around the counter and pulled his younger brother into a tight hug. Loki sat baffled in his stool.

It took him a moment to breathe a sigh of relief and pat his back. “Alright, alright.”

“It is about time!” Thor exclaimed and pulled back to meet his gaze. “I have been eagerly awaiting this development.”

“You have?”

“Well, yes! Tell me, what happened? Who confessed to who?”

“Confessed?” Loki shook his head. “I wouldn’t exactly describe it as such, but I approached her last night and offered to be her first lover with no other promises or strings. She accepted and we slept together.”

Thor frowned the more he spoke. “That’s it?”

“What do you mean, ‘that’s it’?”

“By the Norns, Loki. You cannot be serious?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about. I thought this prospect made you happy?”

Thor set his food down and vehemently shook his head. “I was happy because I thought you had confessed your love for her!”

Thor’s admission very nearly knocked Loki off his stool. He said nothing, lips parted in shock by such a notion. Love? He definitely hadn’t expected Thor to say _that_. “Excuse me?”

The God of Thunder got to his feet and began to pace up and down at his side of the counter. The frustration was practically oozing out of him. “I have stood idly by and kept my mouth shut while you two have remained so utterly _clueless_ about how you are clearly in love. I promised Captain Rogers that I would not interfere, and I have kept that promise, but now I feel like the stupidity the pair of you have displayed warrants a breaking of that promise.”

“ _Excuse me?”_ Loki repeated, thoroughly insulted. “Stupidity—?”

“Do _not_ test me,” Thor snapped and pointed an accusatory finger. “And do not deny your feelings for her — they are as clear as day. Listen to me right now, alright? You both love each other _clearly_ , and you are apparently both completely clueless with regards your feelings. I have seen how you look at her, and I see how she looks at you. We all talk about it and have been impatiently waiting for you two to see what we see, but I guess interference is necessary.”

This was quite the revelation. It was also a lot to take in for the befuddled god. No, this is not exactly how he planned for this conversation to go. He had to interrupt Thor before he continued on his tangent — regardless of whatever truths he insisted on spilling, Loki needed to express his concerns and get some desperately needed advice.

He held up both hands in an attempt to quickly hush his brother. “Why don’t you let me say what I came to say before you berate me further?”

With a grumble Thor took a seat again and waved him on.

“Right, allow me to explain. As I have already said, I offered to be her first intimate experience with another, and she accepted. I know that being inexperienced bothered her somewhat and I wished to help. So, I seduced her last night. I had thought that it would be a simple experience and one that I could enjoy, considering I have not bedded another in many years. But it felt… different to any other experience I have had. Or at least different to any partners I have had in recent times. When I was with her, it felt… good. But more than physically pleasing. I enjoyed being close to her and it felt as though our relationship had been strengthened with the intimacy, as opposed to being made uncomfortable. She is… unlike most mortals in this realm.” He paused, realising that he was offloading all these unusual feelings from his chest. “She is truly special, and perhaps I took too long to realise.”

“You think?” Thor asked, but frustration no longer laced his tone. He grinned slightly. “Mother always said that you were so perceptive of everyone but yourself.”

“I suppose she was right.”

“Only somewhat, considering you did not notice Y’N’s affections for you.”

“I am not so sure that she feels for me in that manner. After all, she agreed to this being a ‘no strings attached’ arrangement.”

“Yes, and _you_ were the one who proposed that even though you are in love with her. It is quite possible that she is in love with you regardless of the agreement.”

“Possibly,” he muttered, his throat going dry at his heavy statement. “Then… what should I do?”

Suddenly, Loki was panicking. He felt as though he was thrown into deep water when it came to dealing with such a possibility. Seduction was one thing, but his love for Y/N and their relationship was surely a sensitive matter. One wrong word, and he could ruin it all. For once, he had little faith in his silver tongue.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Thor reached across the counter and placed a large hand on the back of Loki’s neck. The gesture was needed, and the younger prince immediately heaved out a heavy sigh at the contact.

“You speak with her,” Thor calmly explained. “You tell her how you feel, brother, and I assure you that she will admit her own feelings as well.”

“I do not know how to feel about your confidence. It could be misleading.”

“If you won’t take my word for it, you should hear what the others have to say. We all see it — it is hard to not.”

“I was unaware that my love life was up for discussion amongst your friends.”

Thor smiled and admitted. “It is only because we think that you both deserve some happiness. After all that you have been through, Loki, and after all you have done, you deserve to be happy and loved. So, when you finally speak with her, I hope that you embrace these feelings. If you don’t, you would be a fool.”

The concept of _deserving_ such a thing as happiness was quite foreign to Loki. Since he discovered his true parentage and fell from the Bifröst, his life had been some adventure. He had come from the very bottom of the universe only to rise up through his suffering and torture, and somehow managed to help save the universe in the process. If he was honest, there had been moments where he doubted his own survival. Not only had winning been unexpected, but so had meeting Y/N and the subsequent feelings and desires she would rouse in him. Perhaps Thor was right — at this very moment, the realms were calmer than they had ever been. Maybe, after everything, he _should_ embrace this new adventure. Maybe he did deserve it… But what about what _she_ deserved?

“But am I really the one to take a chance with her? She deserves the world, and I am not worthy of such a task.”

Thor grinned. “You say that, and yet she looks at you as though you hold the world in the palm of your hand. If she deserves the world, then you give it to her. When will you see her again?”

“Tonight. She agreed to have dinner with me.”

“Perfect! I believe Stark said that he planned to order pizza for the team. You can collect your food and eat in privacy. Then confess your feelings. I will make sure to keep the others out of your hair.”

“Thank you,” Loki murmured, giving him an appreciative nod. “That would mean a lot.”

Thor flashed one of his largest grins before giving him a clap on the shoulder. “Think nothing of it, brother. It is about time that you had a little happiness.”

 

* * *

 

You were nervous standing in the main kitchen of the Compound. You constantly wrung your hands, uneasy with the knowledge that you hadn’t heard from Loki since that morning. He had promised to eat dinner with you, but you hadn’t seen or spoken with him since the offer was agreed upon. Now, you found yourself gathered with the Avengers as Tony handed out different pizzas to different team members.

You were somewhat disappointed with Loki’s lack of contact. Maybe he was having his own regrets about last night?

_Ugh, no,_ you thought. _Don’t be so negative, Y/N._ He _asked_ you _over for dinner. Surely he wouldn’t back out now?_

No, you decided you wouldn’t have this. He couldn’t just bail on you like this. You really needed to speak to him and you would hunt him down if you had to. Nope, you weren’t going to let this slide.

You soon found yourself at the front of the queue. Tony looked up from the list in his hand which you presumed matched orders to team members. He grinned at you before speaking. “What are you doing here, Kiddo?”

You blinked in surprise. “Uh… I’m here for pizza?”

“I gave your pizza to Reindeer Games when he swung by earlier — he said you two were gonna eat together in his _chambers_ , as he calls it. Didn’t he tell you?”

“Not exactly,” you muttered and quickly checked your phone to see if he’d sent you any messages. “He hasn’t spoken to me since asking me over for dinner this morning. I was a bit confused when I heard we were having pizza, so I just came here.”

Tony rolled his eyes before grumbling under his breath about a ‘clueless god’. “You might wanna head over to meet him then.”

You thanked Tony before turning and heading out of the room. You could feel some of the others watching you as you went, but you held little concern for their wandering eyes at the moment. All you could think about was _stupid_ Loki and his _stupid_ pretty face and _stupid_ charming personality. As you walked through the hallways, you took out your phone and quickly typed up a message:

**_ Me _ **

_ So, it might have been a good idea to let me know that you’d stolen my pizza, no? _

Seconds after sending the message, your phone vibrated with a reply:

**_ God of Jokes _ **

_ My apologies. I thought my invitation this morning might have been enough. I should have told you x _

Well, at least he apologised for it. Before you could reply, another message arrived:

**_ God of Jokes _ **

_ Are you on your way? x _

**_ Me _ **

_ Don’t worry about it :) Yeah, I’ll be there in a few minutes x _

**_ God of Jokes _ **

_ :) x _

You chuckled at his response. For some reason, the idea of the God of Mischief sending emojis was pretty funny to you. 

Soon you were knocking on his door and then sitting on his bed while munching on your favourite pizza. He sat across from you, his eyes fixed on the tv where a rerun of QI was playing. You both sat in a comfortable silence, much of your attention divided between the program and your food. You couldn’t help but glance at him every now and then, openly transfixed with his sharp profile and glinting green eyes. God, he really was extraordinarily handsome. You understood why some found him so irresistible. He had charmed you into a friendship some time ago, but now you suddenly realised how closely you looked at him.

“You are staring,” he stated, not moving his gaze from the tv.

“Sorry,” you answered and immediately looked back down at your food. He rendered you well and truly frazzled just with his tone. But no, you came here with a mission. You needed to chat.

“Hey, can we, uh, talk—”

The second you opened your mouth, so did he. “If it is alright with you—”

You met his stare as you laughed with him.

“It seems we both wish to speak,” he said and switched off the tv. “Would you like to go first?”

You were about to do just that, until you realised that he wanted to say something as well. What if he wanted to cancel the friends with benefits deal? What if he knew you had feelings for him and wanted to say he didn’t feel the same way?

“You go first,” you offered with a forced smile. “I don’t mind going second.”

He studied you for a brief moment before putting his pizza away in the box and then replying. “As you wish. I wanted to speak to you with regards our new arrangement.”

“Oh…”

“Yes, I have spoken to Thor, you see, as I wished to ask for his advice on how I… felt about it.” He waved a hand from you to him, his eyes fixed on your face. “About what we did last night. I don’t have much experience in expressing my feelings, especially those of this nature. That, and I do not wish to upset you or make you feel uncomfortable…”

Well, here it is — the rejection you had expected. With each word he spoke, your gut twisted. You sometimes worried about exaggerating your feelings, but you genuinely felt a noticeable emptiness in your chest at the prospect of what he was saying, but also at the prospect of not being with him. You imagined him never again handing you a hot cup of tea after a long day at work, never again sharing your similar thoughts on a recently read book, never again arguing about him eating your last chocolate chip cookie. The very thought of not having him around at all was disconcerting. If you were at all uncertain about your love for him before, this made it as clear as day — you loved this trickster, but he didn’t love you.

Loki was still talking, you realised. You forced your bittersweet realisation into the back of your mind and quickly cut him off. “It’s, uh, it’s okay.”

He seemed taken aback. “Excuse me?”

You swallowed roughly and wrapped your arms around your bent knees, pulling them to your chest. Your eyes were already stinging with tears threatening to spill. “You don’t need to… You don’t need to, eh, humour me or let me down easy. I get it — you don’t want to keep our… agreement up. That’s what you wanted to talk about right? You wanted to let me down easy?”

“Are you crying?” he asked.

“No,” you quickly replied.

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Y/N, darling—”

“Shut up.”

You could feel his eyes on you, but you refused to look at him. Instead, you opted to force your tears away by biting your bottom lip. You sat in silence for what felt like the longest time, and all you wanted to do was get out of there. Never had you felt so unwanted in his presence. Why was this hitting you so hard? Were you truly this in love with—

Loki’s hushed chuckle broke your train of thought. 

You finally raised your head to see him smiling.

“Oh, you silly girl.”

Before you could reply, he cleared the distance between you and hugged you tight. You could only sit in a daze. His embrace was near bone crushing, but its force was not what knocked the wind out of you. Just the sensation of his arms around you caused small tears to fall down your cheeks. He pulled back to gently cup your face in his hands and his smile brought your own to life.

“And here I was thinking that my brother was full of it,” he said, his thumb stroking your cheekbone. “But we were the ones acting foolish.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you admitted, thoroughly confused. “What happened with Thor?”

“He said that you love me, and your reaction to a misunderstanding is proof enough that he was right.”

You couldn’t find the words to respond. Instead, all you managed was a muttered ‘oh’ before averting your gaze in embarrassment.

“ _But_ ,” he began, moving so that he could see your face. “He also said that I have unknowingly fallen for you.”

He…

He loved you?

There had been many times when Loki’s words left you tongue-tied. He was known for his charm and eloquence, especially now when his worries were so far away. He could make you laugh, make you smile, and make you blush as if it was the first compliment you had ever received from another. But never had there been a time that it hit you as hard as this.

_He loved you._

You could have asked what Thor said in detail, what his reasons for thinking that were, or why he chose to say it now. Instead, you only wanted to hear it from Loki’s lips — you wanted to know his reasons why. “Do you? Love me, I mean?”

“Yes,” he answered slowly, his lips pausing to taste the unfamiliar but long sought after words. “I love you, and I have loved you unintentionally but unrelentingly for the longest time. I was foolish to be blind to my own feelings, as well as yours. Now, I had intended to ask for you to be mine. I know our arrangement has explicitly said that there would be no promises of affection outside of our beds, but it seemed that I had already become tangled in my sentiment and the pleasures I receive just by being in your company. The night we shared isn’t the sole reason for my feelings, but rather the kick I needed to realise that I never want you to part from my side. All I could think as I held you in my arms last night, was that I never wanted to let go. And I doubted whether I deserved you, or whether you could ever love me the way I love you. You deserve the world, but I will do everything in my power to help you hold it in both hands. Whether it is through comforting words and encouragement, or picking you up when you need help, I will be there, if you’ll have me.”

“Stop,” you hushed him gently. You could feel the smile already forming on your lips, and your salty tears finally giving way. You held his hand in yours and planted a soft kiss on his lips. “If you say anything else, I’m going to be a blubbering mess!”

“I was worried my words would not be sufficient, but I certainly had no intention of making you cry!”

“Your words were more than sufficient, and these are happy tears.” You placed a hand on his cheek, taking in his regal appearance and shimmering eyes. This beautiful man — this God of Mischief — loved _you_ , and he was all yours. “I love you too, Loki.”

“I gathered,” he replied in jest, earning himself a slap on the shoulder. “Ouch! I thought you loved me, and now you are hitting me? I never knew you were this fierce, my love.”

“I’m sure you had some idea.”

“Perhaps we could overthrow these heroes together and claim Midgard for ourselves?”

You raised a finger in warning and frowned at him. “No more conquests! Not if you want to be in a relationship with me.”

He pretended to ponder it for a moment before pulling you into a deep kiss. You kissed him back happily and thoroughly, basking in the feel of his thin lips. It sounded cheesy, but kissing Loki was a completely different experience to anyone before him. You hoped he knew how much you truly adored him. You intended on telling him that every chance you got.

You broke the kiss to speak quietly. “You do deserve me, you know. I’m going to keep telling you that until you believe it.”

He raised a brow and placed a hand on your thigh. “Maybe you can kiss me to show it as well? I would appreciate that.”

“If I have to… C’mon then.”

You kissed him as convincingly as you could, as deeply as he wished, and as lovingly as you had always desired. You forgot about the room around you; everything other than Loki faded into darkness. The pizza boxes were kicked from the bed as he climbed atop you and pressed you into his bed covers. His weight against you brought a now familiar comfort that you adored. You couldn’t wait to wake up in his arms each morning. Since when were you this sentimental?

“Will you allow me to fulfil my promise from this morning?” he murmured and began kissing your neck. “I fear I will go mad if you reject me.”

He rubbed his hips against your leg, and you could feel him beginning to grow in excitement. “I want you. _Now_.”

With a growl he claimed your lips once more. Your movements became a flurry of reefing off each others pyjama bottoms, leaving just enough to be bare. You would have loved to see him shirtless again, but there would be plenty of time for that later. You needed him _now_.

He let out a rumbling chuckle and hitched your bare leg over his hip. “My my, you are eager this evening.”

“Says the guy who is already hard,” you replied and reached down to grasp his length. “Don’t act like I’m the only one.”

“Certainly not.” He hissed at the contact, his voice wavering slightly. “But I had hoped to repay you by dipping my head between your legs. This was not part of the plan.”

“Neither was falling for me, but here we are.”

He quickly lined himself up with your entrance, his jaw visibly clenching. “You are full of surprises. Already so wet for me.”

“Loki, if you don’t hurry up, I swear—” your own gasp cut you off as he buried himself inside your welcoming heat. The stretch burned, but the need you had for him made you desperate and uncaring. He filled you thoroughly and your body shuddered with the intrusion, clutching and trying to accommodate him.

“ _Gods_ ,” he growled, propping his body above yours. “You are tight.”

“And you’re still big,” you replied, reaching up to grab his bicep. “Oh god…”

“You really know how to flatter me. Are you alright?”

“I am, but I’ll be even better if you start moving.”

Further conversation was cut short as he claimed your lips in a deep kiss. Any inhibitions Loki had seemed to go out the window, because he groaned heavily as he pressed his hips against yours. It suddenly dawned on you that he had sort of held himself back the night before, worried that he might harm you unintentionally by being careless or over eager. Now that revelations were had and feelings were out in the open, he pumped himself into you like he had been waiting years to have you. He grunted harshly with each thrust, bottoming out before pulling back and repeating the movement. The first few times you winced with the mixture of pain and pleasure before you gradually adjusted to his length and began to breathe heavily the more he worked. Your hips jumped up to meet his each time, he squeezed your thigh in his hand, you grabbed his long dark hair. The desperation with which he fucked you was growing more intense as his kisses grew sloppier. It felt like he needed you just as much as you needed him.

With a sudden growl, he grabbed your top with one hand and, rather unceremoniously, pulled it over your head. Before you could ask what he was up to, he latched his mouth on to one of your nipples and sucked hard, sending you into a fit of moans. His name tumbled from your lips as he swapped between kissing each breast like his life depended on it. All you could do was splay your hands across his back as his hips continued their work. 

With your eyes shut in a dizzy haze, you were surprised to feel yourself tumbling across the covers. Suddenly, you sat atop Loki, who now lay on his back. He sent you a devious grin and grasped your hips in both hands. You adjusted yourself and flushed upon feeling how much deeper he was in this position. You didn’t think such a realisation was possible after last night, but he had proved you wrong. While you felt noticeably more exposed like this, meeting his droopy green eyes brought you a sense of safety and comfort. You were glad it was with him that you found yourself so intimately connected. No one else would ever compare, of this you were sure.

“Ride me, love,” he ordered breathlessly, his chest rising and falling with noticeable effort. “I want to see you ride me like a good girl. I will show you how.”

Thank god he noticed your hesitance. You were still quite new to this, after all, and the actual movements confused you a little. You followed his lead as he eased you back and forth. The deeper sensations made you gasp. The heightened pleasure made you eager for more, and soon you were moving above him of your own accord. His hands grasped your breasts, teasing your nipples with an expression oozing delight. Frustrated that he still wore a top, you batted his hands away so that you could grasp the hem of said piece of clothing.

“So bossy,” he mused as he pulled his top off. “I am enjoying this side of you.”

“You were wearing too many clothes,” you replied. “Now shut up and kiss me.”

He took the invitation in his stride. In quick movements, he pulled himself up into a seated position and pulled your naked chest flush against him. His kiss was eager and desperate, so much so that the languid movements of your hips sped up to chase your climax. His hips began to buck up into you, sending you closer and closer to release. Feeling your heart thumping and sweat pumping from your aching body, you let your forehead rest on his shoulder and he buried his head in your neck. You whimpered as he filled you, the coil inside tightening with each movement.

“Fuck,” you gasped as he hit the exact spot inside you needed to finish. “I’m nearly there.”

“I know, I can feel you tightening around me.” He groaned and bit at the sensitive skin on your neck. “Gods, you feel _incredible_.”

“Can you come with me?”

Your question made him growl. “Gods, _yes_. Yes, I shall paint your insides with my seed and claim you as my own all over again. You are mine, and I am yours. No one else will ever bed you. You let me be your first, and I would be a fool to let you go now.”

You smiled at his erotic words, and gently pressed kisses against the skin of his neck. “I love you.”

A hand in your hair gently eased you backwards so that he could meet you gaze. He slowed his movements for a moment, and softly kissed your lips. “And I love you, darling.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck and resumed thrusting your hips against his. He groaned into your mouth and held you in a tight embrace as you both neared your release. He shifted and pulled you flush against him, causing his abdomen to rub against your most sensitive spot. The new sensation had you moaning unabashedly. You fingers slid into his hair as the tightened coil within you snapped and you came. Your eyes snapped shut as pleasured rippled through your taut body, stuttering hips moving of their own accord. It was overwhelming as Loki continued to pound into you.

“That’s it, my sweet girl,” he breathlessly encouraged. “That’s it. You are coming so hard… Gods, Y/N, you feel so good. I am going to—”

At that moment, while you were still consumed in your own orgasm, Loki was hit with him own. His whole body stiffened against you, and his grasp tightened to surely leave bruises. The noise that escaped him made you shiver — his groans and growls were the best sound you had ever heard. His release lengthened your own, the waves of pleasure coursing through your shuddering body. You could feel his hot release inside you, the sensation new and so intriguing. His strong arms held you tight as he emptied himself, only loosening when your mutual orgasms subsided.

The silence within the room was only interrupted by the sounds of heavy breathing. Eventually, you regained your breath and your body sank against his. You had expected Loki to let you go, but instead he refused and lay back on the bed, bringing you with him. Even after the intensity of the sex you’d had, the feeling of his large frame beneath yours brought an immense amount of comfort despite these new and almost frightening affections. A hand on your lower abdomen brought you out of your thoughts, the feeling of Loki’s magic hot on your skin. When he had finished murmuring the incantation, he sighed and held you close.

“Are you okay?” you asked quietly when he stayed silent. Your head was resting against the pillow where you carefully watched him.

His expression was calm as he slowly opened his eyes. “After that? I have never been better.”

“Me too,” you giggled and manoeuvred so that you lay next to his cool frame. “I think I can get used to this.”

“Oh? So you enjoy my company?”

You rolled your eyes as he laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding me…”

“I merely jest, my love.” He lay on his side next to you before pulling you into a soft kiss. “I am aware that you think I am rather charming.”

“I can’t deny the truth.” You paused, studying the details of his softened face in the intimate moment. “I’m really happy you decided to take a chance on this, Loki.”

While his eyes shimmered with delight, a comforting hand cupped your cheek. “And I am happy that you decided to take a chance on _me_ , Y/N.”

You lay there in his comforting embrace for the rest of the night. You meant every word you said to Loki that night. The events of the past few days had been a turbulent lot, but you wouldn’t change any of it if it meant you got to rest here in Loki’s arms, a god you were beginning to realise was not just your best friend. 

He was the love of your life.

 

* * *

 

Back in the common area, the Avengers were finished their pizza and now tucking into whatever beer was left over from their last party. Steve, Tony, and Thor stood at the counter, away from most of the rabble.

“Think we should invite them down here?” Steve asked, waving his bottle at the rest of the team. “Now that we’re all socialising.”

Tony shook his head. “Nah, I’d leave them be.”

“I agree,” Thor added. “We should let them savour their night together.”

“Plus they’re probably banging the hell out of each other right this second.”

“Jesus, _Tony!_ ”

“What? We’re all thinking it!”

Thor cringed slightly at the thought. “I would rather _not_ think about my brother and young Y/N in such a… _position_.”

“Regardless, I knew he would go to talk to you after what they did last night, and I also knew that you would encourage him to pursue it.”

Steve grinned. “I gotta give you credit — you were totally right.”

Thor raised his brow at the pair. “Ah, so you two were the ones who gave Y/N the kick she needed?”

“ _Of course_ ,” Tony snorted. “It was our job.”

“What happened to not interfering with their affair?”

“Tony happened,” Steve replied.

“Of course I happened.” The Iron Man took a swig of his drink and saluted them both before adding. “We are the captains of this ship, fellas, so it was our duty to get it sailing smoothly.”

“You think it’ll be smooth?” Steve asked, although he honestly agreed with the statement.

While Thor nodded, Tony, in very Tony Stark fashion, gave him a wry look. “Have you _seen_ those two idiots? Of course it will be! They’re going to stroll down here tomorrow morning, hand in hand, looking at each other with woogily eyes, and acting like they just won the intergalactic lottery. And that’s how they’re gonna be every morning from now on. Mark my words.”

Steve had to give Tony credit where it was due; he was right.

The lovers never did stop looking at each other as though they had found what they were subconsciously searching for.

This whole time, it had been right in front of them.


End file.
